🐛The Linux version of Steam had a bug that caused it to recursively delete user data.
💻The bug was triggered when running the steam.sh script with certain conditions.
🔧The issue was reported in 2015 and has since been fixed.
💡The bug was caused by an incorrect assignment of the STEAMROOT variable.
🔒Various fixes were proposed, including using readlink or dirname to ensure a valid path is returned.
What caused the Steam bug?
—The bug was caused by an incorrect assignment of the STEAMROOT variable, which resulted in the steam.sh script deleting the root directory's contents.
Has the Steam bug been fixed?
—Yes, the bug was reported in 2015 and has since been fixed. Various fixes were implemented to prevent the issue from occurring again.
Did the bug lead to permanent data loss?
—Yes, the bug could lead to permanent data loss as it recursively deleted user data, including external drives.
Were there any proposed solutions to fix the bug?
—Several fixes were proposed, including using readlink or dirname to ensure a valid path is returned and adding checks to verify the steamroot is a real path.
Is the Linux version of Steam safe to use now?
—Yes, the bug has been fixed, and the Linux version of Steam is safe to use. The issue hasn't resurfaced for most users.
00:00The Linux version of Steam had a bug that caused it to unintentionally delete user data.
02:31The bug was triggered when running the steam.sh script under certain conditions.
05:54The bug was caused by an incorrect assignment of the STEAMROOT variable.
07:55The bug was reported in 2015 and has since been fixed.
09:18Various fixes were proposed, including using readlink or dirname to ensure a valid path is returned.
10:29The bug resulted in the recursive deletion of user data, including external drives.
11:27The bug has been fixed, and the Linux version of Steam is now safe to use.
11:44The issue hasn't resurfaced for most users, and the bug can be considered resolved.
